I have hiked a handful of the long distance trails in the US, Europe and S. America. Shoot me a message because this gets super individualized.
So cool that you are thinking about doing this.

I generally use two hiking poles. I move each one with each step and step where the pole was. If it is super rough I don't have any recommendations, but if it is something relatively tame it shouldn't be a problem. Even if it does get rough that still works for me, I am just slower than normal.

When I used to do that I just got a stick from the woods and folded up my real cane. I don't feel like I was significantly slower because, honestly, everyone should be testing their next step with a stick. You don't know what's hiding under that pile of leaves on the ground. Could be a nice little gopher hole waiting to twist ya ankel and laugh atcha. Another thing, make sure you keep your arm up. A stick on the ground isn't gonna help ya when a tree branch comes out of nowhere wanting to say hi to ya snout or pokes its needles in your eyes in a friendly wave.

I have never done any hiking, but they make different cane tips for rough terrain. You might want to look in to getting one.

I recommend using trekking poles. You can also hold onto someone’s backpack strap and use a single trekking pole. I was part of a hiking trip down the Grand Canyon with a bunch of blind students and these are the most common tactics we used.

I personally used two poles and placed the pole in the spot where I was planning on stepping. It’s pretty similar to using a cane except you’re holding 2 of them and they’re held more vertically. I would have to follow someone because I can’t tell what is and isn’t part of the trail.

When you hold onto someone’s backpack strap you shouldn’t have to worry about getting lost or being taken down a rough trail. That being said, you will need someone who you can fully trust. The arm that’s holding on to the strap will tell you if you’re going to be stepping up or down. Your trekking pole hand (usually your cane hand) will give you details on how the trail is and give you stability. You will not be directly behind your guide so that pole will also warn you of any tripping rocks. The most important thing is communicating with your guide. There will be special cases where you have to duck under a low hanging branch or climb over a high step.

Neither tactic is better or worse, it’s all up to how comfortable you feel. The pace you hike at won’t be slower if you use one over the other.

This is a rough explanation and you’ll probably learn better being out on the trail. That’s really all that matters, getting out and hiking. You’re going to start slow and you might even be exhausted if you’re not active. My first hike took me 4 hours to complete, but after a few months of weekly hikes, I brought that time down to 1.5 hours. Our entire group started of this way and after 6 months of training, we were all hiking at average and above average speeds.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

A camping trip was what broke down the last barrier keeping me from cane use. I almost fell off a cliff into Lake Joccossee looking for a place to pee. For my next hike, I chose an aluminum cane with the Rover freewheeling tip. I love this for well used trails. Finds tree roots well without jabbing. I did 10 miles that ended in a climb to Hanging Rock. Worked ok for that climb only because this is a well loved trail where they carved stairs into the rock. Gives absolutely no stability however and some of those stairs were hip high. This season I plan to switch to long trekking poles. I need something that can reach and test rocks for stability. Also, I prefer barefoot style hiking shoes. I’m less likely to twist an ankle if my foot can bend over tree roots and angled rocks vs a thick soled trainer or stiff hiking boot that will allow rocking or require more movement in the ankle to adjust.

EDIT: I did not put the link to the hiking article. I have updated it. I found $1 link which might be interesting. The $1/blog seems cool as well.

Happy trails!

I have some experience with this and I would suggest using pair of trekking poles instead of a cane. Pretty much the same thing but much stronger.